Captain Jake Sparrow and a Tale of the Mysterious Beast the "Trough"

I show up to school dressed up as "Captain JAKE Sparrow" not to be confussed with Captain Jake Sparrow and walk around the campus before school begins to get the kids anxious to come to science class!

After greeting them at the door. I introduce myself and explain that in order to tell them this tale I need them to become the ocean. I pass out "pieces of the ocean" pieces of blue construction paper cut in half with a curvy motion. Then we all head to the hall way where we have more room to spread out.

I explain how they should move as the waves in the ocean during the "calm skies" part of the story and again how they should move when the seas begin to "rage with the storm."

After that I spend no more then 5 minutes telling them a story I made up about a monster that lurks at the bottom of the waves. I describe how all pirates fear and hunt at the beast at the same time while taking them on an "adventure" up waves with high "amplitudes" and how my men become cowards at the top of 1,000 miles high waves (they don't understand the measurements but the word "thousands" grabs their attention). All throughout the story I ask them questions to repeat where we are (the "crest" or "resting" between the motion sickness of up and down...) and ask them to remind me the name of the beast "trough."

After the tale is finished we return to the classroom and take out our interactive science notebooks. I have the kiddos write the new vocabulary words on the right page but before giving them the "book definition" I make them write down what they THINK the definition MIGHT be BASED on the "facts" from the tall tale.

After they spend a few minutes discussing the possible definitions we go over the "book definitions" as a class and clear up any misconceptions.

Their homework is to draw pictures to help them remember the new vocabulary words and bellwork for the next day is to create a Haiku to describe at least one of the vocabulary learned the previous day.

The kids LOVE meeting "new people" and are always sure to give me a full report of the guest speaker on the day that I was "out." :o)